Caltania

I'm definitely feeling your pain! I haven't had anything but protein shakes (with almond milk or similar), broth, and flavored waters since Friday night, with the exception of a tiny bit of cheese on Monday before my formal liquid diet started 😕 I started a couple of days early because some well-meaning friends kept wanting to go out for "one last meal" with me... Nope! I've been somewhat tired/fatigued, and I've been a bit nauseous... not to mention hungry. But... this is the start of my second chance. I got this! And we've all got this, my June lovelies! 😄

For pre-op, the only vitamins I need to be taking are a multivitamin and B-Complex. Post-op, I'll eventually be adding in Calcium Citrate, D3 (which I'm already taking), Sublingual B-12, and Ferrous Gluconate or Fumarate. There are a few other things I'll need to take post-op, but these are the vitamins I'll need for the rest of my life.

Quick update! I was getting really frustrated with all the "last suppering" I was doing, and also with friends who wanted to eat with me one last time before my life changes... so I pretty much started the liquid diet on Saturday rather than today. I've stuck to it pretty faithfully except for one small bit of cheese last night to satiate some ravenousness. It's been going pretty well so far all things considered. I've dodged some of the worse "keto flu" symptoms... mostly I've been pretty spaced out, and dealing with mildly fitful sleep and a bit of nausea. I feel like I'm over the hurdle today, but we'll see - there's still a lot of day left to get through! Welcome to all the new folks, and keep up the awesome work all of you lovelies! I'm rooting for you all!

It's been a few days since I've poked my head in - I've been doing some "last suppering", which I'm not too proud of, but it's not stopping me from doing what I need to do - I've got this! I'm supposed to start my two week liquid diet formally on Tuesday, but since I have a fairly chill weekend ahead of me, I think I may largely start doing it tomorrow. I've picked up a wide variety of shake varieties, so I'm not too worried about getting bored any time soon. Surgery date is still set for June 11th... Really looking forward to the next chapter in my life! Keep up the good work, lovelies!

Welcome Janet, and congrats, that's such good news! You're just a few days after me - I'm June 11th 😄 You've got this! And you're in really good hands with this group, too!

Hopefully we'll be a much more inspiring group of siblings for you then! 😊 As far as the Premier shakes go, at least it sounds like you like the shakes? I tried a clear protein drink once and it tasted awful to me, so I have shied away ever since. I also tried Syntrax nectars and didn't like those either. I think I just need to stay away from fruity drinks 😉 Boredom is my worst enemy when it comes to food. I'm sorry to hear about your job situation 😕 Being on the forums is probably a great help to keep you from straying too much. Or maybe even getting out and going for a walk, or doing some similar physical exercise a bit more, may help? As far as alcohol vs. sleeping pills, I'd suggest talking to your doctor/care team about what you could use to help you fall asleep after the surgery? I was struggling with some insomnia years back and, for a while, was taking Ambien, which I wasn't too keen on; I was able to switch to melatonin and that worked out pretty well for me, though I haven't vetted how safe that will be post-op. You may also find yourself getting a fair bit of sleep post-op, and maybe that will help you start to achieve more of a sleep rhythm.

Oh wow, that's one heck of a statistic... makes me feel better even about how far I've come so far! I'm really glad you shared this, and yes, you're totally right... we want it, and we can all do it! *flexes*

I get it totally. Your surgery date is 6/11? Mine is tentatively 6/28 but may be sooner. Crossing my fingers for a little sooner! Yep! 6/11 is still tentative, but the last steps are in motion now, and I've been booked for all of my pre-op visits as though my surgery is on the 11th. I had to push to get mine as early as I did, but I'm flying my parents out to help keep me company while I'm recovering, so I had that working in my favor for an earlier appointment date! I hope you can get an earlier date if you want one - if you're anything like me, you're rather eager to have this done and be moving on with life! 🙂

I'm with you! I don't know if I'll ever hit a "normal" weight, but I know I should still lose at least about 100 lbs if I can swing it. I think the only thing that frustrated me was that originally my surgeon had said I could have either procedure, but then pushed extremely hard for the sleeve at both appointments about it. But I know she's just doing her job and making sure I understand the risks. I also tend to feel uncomfortable pushing back on medical advice of any kind, but... I really feel like the RNY is going to be the better long term tool for me.

Her reasoning seemed fairly sound. There is a comparable amount of weight loss with the sleeve (from what I've seen it's slightly less, but still more than enough for what I'd need). There's a lower risk of complications from having the sleeve vs. RNY. Absorption is not overmuch affected by the sleeve vs. RNY. Dumping is less of an issue with the sleeve. But as odd as it sounds.. I'm OK with assuming the extra risks, and I'd prefer to have the risk of dumping syndrome, etc. I know me, and I want the extra tools in my toolkit to help me keep the weight off. Not to mention my insurance will only cover one procedure in the course of my lifetime, and while I may have a different insurance someday, it's unlikely...

Yesterday tested my patience a bit - had some issues getting formal insurance clearance from my primary care, even though he'd informally granted it months ago. Then my surgeon tried to talk me into getting the sleeve, and I really want the bypass for a multitude of reasons, but I suck at debating, so my reasoning came out sounding like, "But I wanna!" Thankfully by the end of the day I had the clearance I needed and my surgeon had me down for the bypass, but it was such a stressful day... I'll be grateful when the surgery is done and I can begin moving on with the rest of my life!

Right? It's not often you get such support that people do the surgery with you! 😁 But it's been awesome to be able to talk to him about stuff and know he really does get it, so that helps. And cool! Glad there's at least some WI connection around here, lol! I've been in Madison for about a decade now and I adore it. I'm originally from Massachusetts 😊

Congrats Kimmie, that's fantastic news! You got this! *cheers* And you're the same week as me - I'm the 11th 😄

Welcome to the group Sarah, it's nice to meet you! You're in good hands with this group, we'll help you along 🤗 I'd love to get back to running myself someday, assuming my knees will let me when I'm smaller... Fingers crossed!

I've actually been enjoying using the sugar free syrups in my shakes - it varies up the flavors quite a bit, and they're really good!! I used to drink flavored coffee, but I think if/when I go back to drinking coffee, I'll be adding these syrups to standard coffee instead... 😊

Yeah, it's been a bit tough... Some moments I'm knocking it out of the park, and others I'm diving for junk food. I'm honestly very much looking forward to the liquid diet, when my food choices will be narrowed down to flavors rather than anything more meaningful 😝

I had to give up caffeine altogether (among other things). I haven't inquired whether decaf is ok post-op, but I'm guessing I'll wait a while regardless due to the acidity... don't want to disrupt my pouch... *pout* My team said the big concern in general with caffeine is dehydration post-op, since it's hard to get in your fluids each day and yeah, that checks out. Pre-op I've allowed myself the occasional decaf, but as a caffeine addict, it was really hard to switch... I've adjusted, but I still miss it!

Welcome to our June group, krisleeve! *waves* Good to have you! Hopefully your journey is going well!

Premier Protein shakes are delicious!! I'm having lots of those when I'm on my pre-op diet. Post-op it's only whey protein isolates for me, but thankfully Phormula-1 is actually stunningly good.

I find myself questioning still too... in my pre-op classes, they actually told me that's super common, so I felt a bit better about that. You've worked hard and made great strides to be where you're at now - you've got this! As a member of the June Bunch, I have faith in you 😄

Welcome to the group, James! I think you may be the first guy here, but you'll still be in good company with us 😊 I'm proud of you for taking this step, and continuing on your journey rather than just throwing in the towel. It sounds like you have a good game plan in place, and hopefully this time around will help provide you with the right tool to succeed for good. And being around these parts means you've got a built in support network to help you through, too. Wishing you all sorts of good luck! *cheers*

Welcome May! It's neat to know you have the same surgery date as me 😊 Nice to have you in the June group!

Thank you lovely!! I'm actually debating doing a slightly longer liquid diet as well, though I haven't decided. I worry I'll start it early and then curse myself for doing so after my surgery when I'm missing real food 😄 But it helps that I've found some surprisingly tasty shakes to have, so I actually find myself wanting them. Decisions decisions! You've totally got this though, even if you've had a few off days. It's the home stretch now to meet the new tool waiting for you! *cheer*

It's really, really hard to not compare your own journey to others... But maybe it will help you to reflect on how far you've come so far? Your ticker says you've lost 100 lbs, which is absolutely amazing progress! I've only lost 20 so far, with an ultimate goal of losing a total of about 170 lbs.... I'm still miles away from my goal, but I'm glad I've started walking in that direction. And I'm proud for you that you're heading that way too, even if you're much further along!

I'm sure you'll get your fair share of liquid diet post-op as well though 😉 Right now, for me, I figure it's 4-6 weeks between pre- and post-op that I'm stuck getting my nutrition from a cup... Pureed food is going to seem like a godsend!